


Fallen at Our Feet

by SirenAlpha



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, Stardust AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 14:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4183296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirenAlpha/pseuds/SirenAlpha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek had been given a single year to do as he pleased within Stormhold's borders. He hadn't expected to meet a fallen star.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fallen at Our Feet

**Author's Note:**

> So I watched Stardust literally yesterday and kinda got carried away. This was pretty much just for fun and because I could. It's also kinda pre-slash for Dex and Nursey and Shitty and Lardo are hinted at being in a relationship.
> 
> Also, I use first names for most of the characters in this.

Derek stopped speaking mid-sentence when he saw the star streak across the sky.

“Look,” he said, pointing it out to Chris.

“What?” he asked, and as he turned Derek spurred on his horse.

“Wait!” Chris called after him. “It may not be safe! I’m still in charge of your safety!”

Derek heard, but refused to stop his horse. The star exploded when it hit the ground, the light nearly blinded and deafened him, and his horse reared. “Come on,” Derek shouted back to Chris. “Let’s get the star before any witches do!”

His horse took some coaxing to move towards the landing site of the star, but he had it cantering soon enough. He checked over his shoulder and confirmed that Chris still followed him. At the edge of the crater, he reined his horse and peered in. A young red headed man sat in the center, staring back at him. Derek had thought all stars were women, but he climbed off his horse anyways. He slid most of the way down the edge of the crater, barely keeping his feet beneath him.

Derek stared at the man as he neared him, taking in his strange, silvery clothing.

“Who are you?” the man asked.

“Derek, wait,” Chris interrupted, and Derek looked back to see him climbing over the lip of the crater.

“He’s unarmed. You can relax,” Derek yelled back to him.

“Who are you?” the man asked again, slowly getting to his feet.

“I’m Derek and this is Chris,” he answered, pointing to himself and then Chris as he jogged towards them.

“I’m also his guard,” Chris said, frowning.

“And you are?” Derek asked, taking a step closer.

“You can call me William,” he said, watching both of them. “Why do you need a guard?”

“I can be a little clumsy,” he admitted. “Are you really a star?”

“Of course I am. I just fell, didn’t I?”

“How’d you fall?”

William didn’t answer.

“I can help you get back,” Derek suggested, wanting to keep the star with him. He didn’t deserve to die for falling, and he’s certain a witch could easily find him just as he had.

“How?”

“Babylon Candle, I know where to get them.”

“Why should I go with you?” William asked. “I’ve heard stories. How do I know you won’t cut out my heart?”

“I have no desire to see you dead. I just wanted a chance to meet a star.”

“Why?”

“Have you heard the story of how a star became queen?”

William stared at him for several moments before nodding.

“That’s reason enough for me,” Derek promised him.

He looked between him and Chris for several more moments then said. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

“Well, we’re not going to go very far now. We’ll just climb out of the crater then make camp,” Derek said.

“Camp?” William asked.

“Yeah, night’s only just fallen and we’ve been up all day,” Chris explained.

William struggled to climb out, unsteady on his legs and unused to being on earth, and both Derek and Chris had to help him scale the sides though he tried to refuse it. He couldn’t help them set up camp either, and when Derek finally fell asleep he caught William sitting up wide awake and looking to the sky.

In the morning, Derek discovered that it had been a terrible mistake to let William remain awake all night. Derek and Chris woke and prepared their horses and decamped to find the star asleep in the grass.

“Should we wake him?” Chris asked, back to his usual concerned state now that he didn’t consider William a threat to Derek’s person.

“We have to if we want to leave,” Derek said then shook William awake. He regretted the action by lunch.

William snapped at him for waking him up. Derek let it slide and suggested they walk back towards the nearest town as they had only two horses between them, even if he had wanted to take a different route back to Market Town to see more of the countryside. He’d sacrifice it for the chance to spend time with a star. William began to complain about walking within ten minutes of their leaving. Derek suggested he take one of the horses, and William decided to ride on Chris’. William carried on a perfectly civil conversation with Chris, asking about the world and how humans lived, and Chris delighted in answering.

When they stopped for lunch, Derek and Chris began unpacking food, but William remained in the saddle.

“Are you going to get down?” Derek asked.

“I don’t know how,” William said, glaring at Derek like he was the reason for that.

He sighed and moved to stand beside his horse. “Just pull your far leg out of the stirrup.”

“Alright,” William said as he shifted, pulling his leg out.

“Then swing it over the back of the horse.”

William attempted it twice, and Derek wasn’t very successful in holding back his laughter. William glared at him. “I’m going to fall off.”

“If you do, I’ll catch you,” Derek promised, holding out his arms.

William sized him up for a moment then tried again. He got his leg over the rump of the horse, and Derek caught him before he could hurt himself or the horse. The horse whinnied, unhappy with the situation. “Sorry,” William apologized.

“Just get your foot out of the other stirrup,” Derek ordered, adjusting his grip.

William pushed the stirrup off his foot, and they both stumbled backwards when he gets free. Chris giggled, and Derek glared at him. Derek released William, and he dropped to the ground.

“Don’t just drop him,” Chris chided him.

“Sorry,” Derek said, helping William to his feet again. He helped him over to where they’d prepared for lunch and sat him down again.

Derek tried to strike up a conversation with William at lunch, but he still seemed annoyed at him and gave only terse responses, complaining to him about the horseback riding enough though he’d complained of walking first. Eventually, Derek returned his snappy comments with ones of his own. Chris looked at him like he’d been replaced with one of his cousins. Derek could recall only bickering with someone in front of Chris once or twice in his life, and he spent most of his hours and days watching out for his safety.

“We need to get you new clothes,” Chris said to William as they packed up.  

“Why? What’s wrong with what I have?” he asked, looking confused for a moment before glaring at Derek.

“You stick out too much. I’ve never seen anything like your clothes. Witches will notice, and they really will cut out your heart.”

William paled, and Derek said, “We should reach a town by nightfall. We’ll stay in an inn then in the morning we’ll get you new clothes.”

William didn’t argue then, but after some more time he became cross even with Chris. He complained about how late they made him stay up, how he hated travel, and how much he wished to sleep. Derek picked up their pace, leaving Chris to placate William.

Once they reached town, found an inn, and had taken refuge in a room for the night, Derek felt there was a real possibility he might kill William himself no matter how much Chris would hate him for it afterwards. William took one of the beds, lying down with his clothes on and not even under the covers. Derek meant to chastise him for not helping to finish unpacking, but stopped when he actually looked at William. He tapped Chris and pointed to the star. Chris stared at William then turned back to Derek with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Derek asked William, “Are you glowing?”

The star certainly seemed to be casting off some sort of light. William turned to them, and his eyes glowed gold. “What is it do you think stars do?”

Derek didn’t answer and returned to unpacking. William had fallen asleep before they had finished, still glowing faintly even in the lit room.

“He can’t do that outside,” Chris said as they readied for sleep. “He’ll put us all in danger.”

“We can tell him in the morning if he’s still glowing.”

William, however, returned to his previously grumpy attitude and showed no sign of glowing when they woke him in the morning. Derek prepared to leave, but Chris grabbed their money first.

“I can get him suitable clothes,” Chris said. “Stay here with him. You should be able to handle that much. I’ll bring back food as well.”

Derek looked over to William to see him turn away and frown. “Fine,” Derek said, letting Chris leave.

He spent the morning feeling vaguely irritated as William ignored him to poke about the room and fiddle with things.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked eventually.

William shrugged. “I’ve watched humans before, but I’ve only ever seen things. I haven’t gotten to touch them before.”

Derek looked away when William turned to him. He went back to moving around the room, and Derek did his best to ignore him and will Chris to return faster. He jumped when the door swung open and Chris came into the room with a full bag.

“I didn’t know what you’d like so I just grabbed a few different things,” Chris explained to William as he held the bag out towards him.

William didn’t seem to be able to make heads or tails of items in the bag, and both Chris and Derek had to help him pick out an outfit and dress. Derek noted that the clothes weren’t as fine as anything he or Chris wore, but the neutral colors would help him blend. Once they finished dressing William, they breakfasted and tucked William’s old clothes into the bottom of one of their packs.

“We need to keep moving,” Chris explained to William as he began to grumble again.

They guided their horses on foot through the small town, and they nearly made it out when a woman darted out towards them and caught William by the arm.

“Awful brave of you to walk about in broad daylight like you are,” she said.

“Unhand him,” Chris said, shoving the woman off.

“Careful,” the woman tsked, pulling back the hood of her cloak. “You’ll want me to keep your secret, harboring a star like that.”

“What’s in it for you?” Derek asked, moving so that the witch lay trapped between him and Chris.

“I just want a lock of his hair and a chance to talk with him,” she said, “My name’s Larissa.”  

“I’ve heard of you,” Chris said, relaxing. “She won’t cut out his heart.”

“My reputation precedes me,” she said, grinning. “You’re very foolish for travelling without protection.”

William and Derek both looked to Chris, and Larissa laughed. “How are you going to stop a witch from cursing you once you cross paths with one? Only the lordling has any protection.”

Derek had an heirloom hanging from his neck, said to have been a gift from a witch for his ancestor saving her life. He had heard it granted him luck, not protection.

“I can give you some if you’ll let me travel with you,” she said.

“We accept your terms,” Derek said before Chris could protest.

Larissa grinned and led them to her wagon. William moved closer to Derek. "You're a lord?"

"The son of a duke," Derek answered.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't seem important. You're a star after all."

They fell silent when they reached the witch's wagon which was watched by a man in the process of grooming one of the wagon's horses. “Shitty, we’ve got company,” Larissa shouted at him.

“His name’s Shitty?” William asked.

“He likes it more than his real one,” Larissa answered with a shrug.

Shitty had an impressive mustache and a way with horses, readying the wagon swiftly. Larissa gifted both William and Chris with glass snowdrops, explaining how they worked as a shield for most curses. William rode with the witch, and Derek made sure to keep an eye on him. At least, the star complained less about travelling while seated on the wagon’s bench, and they made better time despite the increased size of their group.

They camped between towns that night, using the wagon to block the worst of the wind. Derek discovered William acted perfectly amiable with Shitty and Larissa as well, but still only gave him snappy remarks. Derek remained quiet for the rest of dinner. Shitty and Larissa retreated to the wagon for the night.

“Are they,” William began, looking between Chris and Derek. “together?”

“Probably,” Chris answered with a shrug.

“Are you together?” he asked, gesturing to the two of them.

Derek looked to Chris, and they both burst out laughing. “We’ve been friends for a very long time, but no,” Derek answered. “We’re not.”

“Oh,” William said, flushing and dropping the conversation entirely to prepare for bed.

Derek had nearly fallen asleep when he spotted William staring up at the sky again. “Do you miss it?” he asked quietly.

William startled, looking away from the other stars. “Not yet.”

The following days continued much in the same manner, though Derek and William argued more and more at each meal. It didn’t even matter what the topic was, if they could mention it, they could argue over it. Larissa and Shitty took much amusement in their fighting, but Chris kept sending both of them concerned looks. Derek wanted the star to like him, but he couldn’t stop himself from rising to the bait William set every time they so much as looked at one another.

Eventually, they reached the river that came between them and Market Town.

“We’re going to need to find somewhere shallow to cross,” Shitty announced, turning the wagon so they’d travel along the river.

Once they’d stopped for the day, Larissa said to William, “You can probably swim in it if you want.”

“I can’t swim,” he responded, staring at the water wistfully.

“Stay in the shallows then. We can go in with you,” Larissa said, beginning to strip.

They all followed her lead, stripping down to their small clothes. The water felt wonderful after weeks of travel. William seemed to have as much skill at walking in water as swimming and after falling several times, he decided to stay seated in the shallows. Derek made sure to check on him every so often, and as the sun began to set, he saw William glowing, watching them all play in the water, and his light reflected brilliantly off the water. William noticed him looking and turned away. That night, after they’d eaten, dried off, and prepared to sleep, Derek noticed that William didn’t look to the skies.

It took another day to find a section of the river shallow enough to cross, and they decided to try and find an inn to stay at for the night. They arrived at a small town after night had fallen, but the one inn the town had gave them the one room they had left. Shitty and Lardo said they would spend the night in their wagon, but ate dinner with them at the inn. The innkeepers, Justin and Adam, stopped by frequently to talk with them.

When Shitty and Lardo left, Justin sat down beside Nursey. “He’s a star, isn’t he?”

Derek moved his hand to his dagger as he asked. “And?”

“Tell him to be more careful,” Justin said, leaning back. “He glows every so often.”

Derek looked over to William to check, and he saw him speaking with Chris and his glow was faintly visible despite the room being well lit. “I’ll tell him.”

“Good luck on your journey,” Justin said before getting up from the table.

When they had retired to their room for the evening, Derek put his hand on William’s shoulder. “You have to be more careful.”

William shook off his hand. “I am being careful.”

“You keep glowing. No matter how we dress you, you’ll always stand out if you glow.”

William dimmed. “Fine, I’ll try.”

“Thank you,” he said, full of relief.

Leaving town almost turned out to be a mistake. Less than a mile out, Derek felt heat against his chest. He pulled out the heirloom pendant and it nearly burnt his fingers. “Stop,” he commanded.

“What is it?” Chris asked, adopting his guard tone.

“My pendant nearly burned me,” Derek answered, looking to Larissa.

“Means we shouldn’t go this way. It’s probably a trap of some kind.”

They all turned to William, and he looked away from their gazes.

“I could ride ahead and scout the area,” Chris offered.

“You should take Larissa with you,” Derek said, looking down at his pendant. “There’s likely some magic to the trap if my pendant is sensing it.”

“We can take the wagon and Chris through, and you can take William and find some other way around,” Shitty offered.

“How will we meet up after?” Derek asked.

“I can send word,” Larissa promised.

Chris and William both seemed reluctant with the plan, but switched places regardless. William shifted restlessly on the horse. “Let’s go,” Derek said as the wagon started down the road again.

“Alright,” he said, holding the reins awkwardly but still following Derek.

Derek guided both horses off the road and into the woods where they wouldn’t be seen easily from the road, but be able to travel with some speed. Derek remained on alert, looking for any signs of danger of ambush. He never spotted anything, and thankfully, William never started up on a list of complaints to him.

Not long before nightfall, a hawk landed on Derek, spooking his horse. After he’d settled his mount, slowing to a walk, he pulled a message off the hawk’s leg. It named a location and was signed with an L.

“We’ll have to trust it’s really Larissa’s message,” Derek told William, holding up the letter.

The hawk nipped at him, and Derek shooed it off. It landed on William instead. Derek picked up the pace again and led them to the location the letter specified without feeling any heat from his pendant. They left the woods and saw the wagon. The hawk flew from its perch, and when Larissa snapped her fingers, turned into Shitty. He stumbled a bit before sitting down beside the fire she and Chris has started.

“You’re alright,” Chris said, grinning at Derek and William.

“Yes, we didn’t come across any trouble,” Derek said.

“We did. I nearly got my head cursed off,” Chris said then gestured to his glass snowdrop. “This helped.”

“That’s wonderful. We’d both be very lost without your head,” Derek said, laughing.

They heard a thump and turned to see William flat on the ground. “What happened?” Chris asked, rushing towards him.

“I’ve never ridden that fast before,” William said as Chris helped him to his feet.

“There’s a first time for everything,” Shitty said with a teasing tone.

Derek rolled his eyes. “Don’t listen to him.”

Shitty gave him a wink, but left the topic alone after that.

The next morning, William had become sore from the hard riding, but the only fault in that was that he mentioned it. The rest of the morning, the entire group took turns teasing him for it. He returned the teasing as best he could and often lost the small verbal matches. Derek laughed at most of them.

It took the rest of the week to reach Market Town, and Derek grew more anxious with each passing mile. He couldn’t stop himself from glancing over to William every chance he got. William usually didn’t notice the glances, but when he did, he always looked back and sometimes even smiled. At nights, after they had eaten and prepared to sleep, the time William had once spent looking at the stars he spent talking with Derek about anything and everything. After each talk, Derek craved the look of William softly glowing, lighting the camp when the fire had gone out, more and more. He worked to make William smile and glow and keep talking with him, noting what made him laugh and which words made him glow brighter. He caught himself trailing off once or twice, staring when William’s eyes became a molten gold as his voice dropped to a whisper.

Upon setting eyes on Market Town, Derek admitted to himself that he didn’t want William to leave. He didn’t want to keep him for himself or force him to stay here, wouldn’t even ask him to, but he did wish for more time with him.

Larissa parked the wagon just outside of town, and Shitty stayed with it as the rest of them went into town, wishing them farewell as they parted. Larissa led the way through the busy streets to a small shop in the alley off a larger road. “Hey, Bitty!” she shouted into the shop as she entered.

“Larissa,” a man with a sword at his hip said, coming out from behind the shop’s counter. He wrapped Larissa up in a hug. “Shitty watching your wagon?”

“Yeah,” she said, grinning as she pulled away from the hug. “Jack, this is Derek, Chris, and William.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jack said, offering out his hand. Each of them shook, even if William watched the whole process warily before cautiously offering his own hand.

“Bitty’ll be back in a second,” Jack said, giving William another once over.

“Oh, hello,” a voice said from behind them, and the turned around to see a short blond man behind them.

“Hey, Bitty,” Larissa said, moving in for a hug from him as well.

“It’s wonderful to see you, again,” he said, studying her when he pulled back from the hug. “You must have been travelling a lot.”

“You have no idea, but we’ve got someone who needs to travel farther,” she said, looking to William.

“I supposed you’ll be needing a Babylon Candle then,” Bitty said, moving behind the counter.

“We can pay for it,” Derek said, stepping forward.  

Bitty smiled. “I’m sure you can.”

Bitty disappeared into a store room then returned and placed a black candle onto the counter. Derek haggled with him, but still spent nearly the entirety of the considerable amount of coin he had left for the candle. Bitty told them to come back if they ever returned to town when they left.

Derek handed the candle to William, and he stared at it for several moments. He turned to Larissa. “I suppose this is when you’ll take my hair.”

She nodded and pulled a knife from her skirts. He bowed to her so she could reach his head. She cut off a few inches from behind his ear. “I wish you well on your journeys,” she told them and left the three of them to return to her wagon.

They stood together in the alley way, silent, for a moment then William turned to Derek. “Do I need to leave?”

Derek felt as if all the air had left his lungs. “What do you mean?”

“What if I didn’t want to leave?” he asked, looking at the ground. “Not yet, anyways.”

“You could stay with me,” Derek said hastily, taking a step towards him. “No witch would dare follow you into the capital.”

William smiled, glowing bright enough for it to be noticeable in broad daylight. “I’d like that.”

Derek smiled back, and Chris interrupted the moment with a cough. Chris announced that they should find an inn to spend the night before setting out for the capital in the morning. They found an open room and purchased it for the night. Chris caught Derek in the hall as William continued on to unload some of their belongings into their room.

“You’re really going to give up the last half of your one year for adventure for him?” Chris asked.

“Yes.”

“Even if he only stays a day?”

Derek looked away towards the doorway William had disappeared into. “Even for just a day.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
